Have you ever had one of those moments when you realize you've captured lightning in a bottle? There's just under a month to go in the MLB season. My Nationals are leading the NL East (again) with the Mets at their heels. The faces of the franchise, Bryce Harper and Stephen Strasburg, are not having the summers that spring suggested. We released our closer and traded with the Pirates for a new one, who has inherited the Nationals curse and gone from no drama to drama.

We also picked up from my good friend Larry's Mets one Daniel Murphy, who is a definite MVP candidate!

But, the most exciting player in a Nats uniform, at a mere $500K rookie salary, on a team with Bryce Harper, Max Scherzer, and even the aforementioned Daniel Murphy, is a 23 year old kid who looks like he doesn't even need to shave, is a natural shortstop but has adapted amazingly well to center field, runs like the Flash, and tonight (the spoiler part) hit his 7th and 8th major league home runs out of a third or less of the season, the 8th one clearing the center field fence twenty feet or more in the air, in the bottom of the 9th in a tied game. I've not seen anything like this since living in San Antonio during Tim Duncan's rookie season! Trea Turner has suddenly become one of the most exciting players in all of baseball, and it's been a blast watching him blossom in the majors.

Mind you, I have great confidence in the Nats ability to melt down in October yet again, but I'm going to enjoy this for now! And if the Nats are on a nationally televised game and Turner's playing, just watch!

..the visual design and aesthetics of Nationals Park. Occasionally, when I tune in a Nats game, I find myself admiring the whole architectural look of the ball park from home plate looking out to the outfield. It's an incredibly unique design.